Oregon Coast Questions

[Wrinklemeist]

We are planning a trip in July to the Oregon coast with our 40' DP. We want to cover the coast from Astoria Or. to Eureka, Ca. Any input on how long we should take to see it properly? Any "must see" places not to miss? We can go either direction but I have heard the north to south can be a bit scary due to the narrow highway and dropoffs. I nearly freaked driving up the Million Dollar Highway out of Ouray, Co. Is this as bad? We can take up to three weeks but hope to hold it to two or so. Suggestions on RV parks? Thanks in advance for the input.
Mike and Kay, two dogs and cats, and an Envoy toad behind an '05 Alpine.

[frankdamp]

IMO, North to South is easier. We've not gone south of Cape Blanco, but we've covered the rest. The road is pretty good, not too narrow most places. The big advantage of heading south is that most of the places of interest are on the west side, so you're not sitting out there trying to turn across the traffic flow.

The State Park CGs are great, and there are quite a lot of good private ones also. We don't have a toad, so we didn't do much sightseeing except the trip itself. We visited the Tillamook Air Museum - definitely worth the time. We also went to the Evegreen Air Museum in McMinnville, which is where the "Spruce Goose" flying boat is housed. It's a ways inland (maybe 50 miles on Highway 18) but well worth the time.

Sea Lion Caves - not worth the effort, IMO. The parking lot isn't very big and I thought our 32' gasser, with no toad, was pushing the limits a bit. The sealions weren't in residence anyway.

I'd strongly recommend getting in touch with the Oregon tourist agency and get their mile-by-mile book. Two weeks on 101 itself is about the minimum to get a good look at everything - it really depends on your interests. Keen golfers would probably want a month!

[FOSJ]

Joan and I spent last summer in Oregon working in Mt Hood National Forest. The last week of August we started a 10-day vacation with friends from Florida during which we drove 2300 miles, including most of the Oregon coast. You could check out our blog for the week of September 3, 2012 entitled "You Call That a Vacation?" for pics of some of the things we did during that trip. And you would be welcome to contact us directly if you had any questions we could answer. Oregon has so many things to see: Colombia River Gorge, Sand Dunes Park near Florence, Crater Lake are just a few. Definitely visit Redwoods National Park in northern California and there are several locations along the coast in northern California to see elk. Good luck.

[gewilli]

I agree N to South for the ease of stopping at viewpoints. I go down the coast frequently from Wa. So I drop in and out from I5 depending on where I am heading. I would suggest taking a week, maybe more if you can. At the north you have fishing and crabbing. Mid way you have sand dune rides and light houses. South end you have jet boat rides and warm weather. State Parks are great. We like to stop at brookings port rv park on the water. Also bullards beach. Newport's marina and port rv park. Winchester Bay for sure. Lots to see and to do. Hope you enjoy.

[450Donn]

How much time do you plat to take?
First stop should be Ft Stevens state park. Next should be netarts bay RV park, then maybe Winchester bay RV park. There are so many places to see and do on the coast it really needs several weeks to explore completely. Any of the state parks will be great, but some of them may not fit your MH. Plan to get reservations if you stay in any of my state parks. The private parks should have reservations during the summer but generally it is not necessary. Except on the weekends And the farther south you get the easier it is to get in. Send me a pm if you want more information on places to stay or see.

[Chickadee]

Wrinklemeist:

North to South definitely. There are a number of spectacular pull offs (even for a 40 ftr.) and entering and exiting these pull offs and other attractions is MUCH better heading South. In fact, IF ya elect do it heading South TO North, you'll soon start bypassing such stops due to the difficulty of trying to access, and more so, exit, such stops.

Having noted the above, however, it's a good idea to plan on dividing the coast route into, say, 3 or 4 segments, then parking your rig for a couple days in the mid area of each segment and use your tow vehicle to tour up and down each segment as you travel along. After a day or two, or three, in each segment, move on to the next segment and repeat. It's a BEAUTIFUL experience, so take your time.

Do spend time in Depot Bay (try the Sea Hags restaurant), and DO Ecola State Park on Tillamook Head on the coast just due West of Tillamook, OR. SPECTACULAR!!

Steve & Lynette

[vermilye]

Speaking of Tillamook, both the cheese factory & the Air Museum make interesting stops... (My visit to the air museum last summer)

[beaverfever]

definitely not the million dollar highway its a very easy drive with a million dollar view!
two weeks will give you time to explore enough to want to come back.
check out oregon state parks they are very rv friendly and some have full hook-ups
but will probably need reservations in advance